LWer councils seniors through all types of grief
By Laurie Bullock
LW Weekly Editor
When thinking of grief, many people think about the loss of a loved one or the loss of a job or home. But Mutual 8 resident Sharon Yagerlener (M.Div) recognizes that there are many big and small losses people go through in their lifetimes, and it’s especially important for seniors to have space to acknowledge those losses through prayer and support groups.
“It’s a new reality, and people need help to accept, adapt, and find new things and interests to help heal. There may be things you can’t do, but there are other things you can do instead to get into the ‘new normal.’” Yagerlener said.
Yagerlener’s journey with grief started after retiring from her nursing career. She went to Fuller Seminary to receive her masters in divinity and went back to her first love, hospitals, now as a chaplain for women and children.
Yagerlener now visits churches and councils individuals working through different losses that come from growing older, from hearing and mobility to independence and the death of a loved one.
“Our lifestyle changes,” Yagerlener said. “There are things that we grieve, maybe in a different way than we grieve our loved ones, but they’re losses and they’re things we need to move on and heal from things big and small.”
People who are witnessing a friend or loved one grieving a loss are encouraged by Yagerlener to let people feel what they feel, and to know someone is there for them. Remember important dates like birthdays and death anniversaries and memories of that person. Grief is something that every human experiences, and each loss is as important to acknowledge as something that changes a person’s life.
For more information about Yagerlener’s work inside and outside of Leisure World, email revnana@earthlink.net.
